Music icon and Louis Vuitton Creative Director Pharrell Williams called for the International Olympic Committee to reinstate the ‘arts competitions’ which were held as an official part of the Olympic events until their phasing out in 1948.
Between the years 1912 to 1948, the Summer Olympics gave out medals for excellence in art forms like architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture, going beyond just conventional sports.
These art-forms were heavily inspired by the summer sports, tying well into the competition.
Pharrell’s event supported Olympic athletes including the refugee contingent who competes.
While other awards exist for most artistic disciplines, reinstating them to the Olympics could provide another forum to promote and support rising talents. Historically, Olympic athletes and artists had to be amateurs.
While professional athletes can now compete, professional artists no longer have a chance for a medal.
As six new sports will be added for the Los Angeles games in 2028, who’s to say if art will once more return for future competitions.
Williams has recently created waves by advocating for a return of the arts competitions to the Olympics, an idea that evokes a sense of nostalgia and intrigue.
Once a cornerstone of the Games, the arts competitions, which included architecture, literature, music, and visual arts, fell away after the 1948 London Olympics. Concerns over professional versus amateur participation led to their demise.
Yet, the legacy of these competitions lives on through iconic structures like Jan Wils’ Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, which celebrated the powerful synergy between sports and design.
Pharrell Williams rocked gold Grillz as he and his wife Helen Lasichanh watched the Tennis Men’s Singles Semi-Final on day seven of the Olympic Games in Paris on Friday.
The American singer, 51, who has been married to Helen, 44, since 2013, rocked gold Grillz and sported a pair of orange-tinted shades as he watched Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime battle it out for a place in the final.
The Happy hitmaker cut a smart casual figure in a white Louis Vuitton polo shirt which boasted a structured collar and a branded gold-toned brooch at the chest.
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